Shoe straightener



March a, 1932. F, sAYLEg 1,848,551

SHOE STRAIGHTENER Filed Jan. 6, 1931 INVENTOR BY Fred fay/es Max WM ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 8, 1932 warren STATES PATENT OFFICE FRED SAYLES, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 THE SAYLES 00., LTD, DE LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA SHOE STRAIGHTENER Application filed January 6, 1931. Serial No. 506,912.

This invention relates to a shoe straightener for holding a shoe in proper shape when not being worn, to prevent shrinkage, wrinkling and enable ventilation of the shoe. Shoes w'hich are damp or wet either from outside moisture or perspiration require means to maintain their shape while drying. The con ventional shoe tree fills the shoe and does not afiord an opportunity for the shoe to dry or air out. The present invention pertains to a shoe straightener which may be passed under the outsole of a shoe and engaged therewith at the rear and front tending to flex the shoe in a direction opposite to the direction of fiexure produced by wearing of the shoe thereby placing the upper intension especially at the vamp where wrinkles occur. The object of this invention is to provide a shoe straightener having the characteristics before mentioned, which is applicable to either shoe, is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, light in weight'and easily applied to and removed from a shoe.

These objects are obtained by means of the embodiment of my invention. illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a shoe with my improved straightener applied thereto; Fig.

2 is a plan view of the straightener; and Figs. 3, 4 and 5 are sections as seen on the lines correspondingly numbered in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A indicates a shoe, to the sole of which a shoe straightener B has been applied. The straightener extends from thetoe of the shoe to a point adjacent the heel and underlies the sole, gripping the latter at the toe end and adjacent the heel end, and bearing upon sole intermediate the ends.

The straightener is formed of a single piece of resilient Wire formed in hour glass shape with a retainer plate at the waist of the hour glass. The wire has members or arms designed to extend beneath the sole from front to rear, these arms being indicated by 6 and 7. The arms are connected at the front by a toe portion 8 providing a yoke, which is preferably slightly flattened so that it may overhang the lip of and rest upon 50 the solo at the toe end. The wire is oflset downwardly as indicated by 6a and 7a so that the arms will be disposed beneath the sole. At the rear, clamp members 9 and 10 are provided by bending the wire laterally and overlapping the members 9 and 10. Finger grips at the juncture of the arm 6 and member 9 and at the juncture of the arm 7 and member 10 are provided by downwardly extending arcuate portions 11 and 12. The ends of the clamp member are'turned upwardly to provide hooks l3 and 14 and an eye loop is formed at the tip of each hook so as to provide smooth ends which will not scratch the leather of the shoe. At the waist or mid section of the arm is a retainer plate 15 for holding the arms 6 and 7 in assembled relation. The arms are attached to the plate by providing clips on the latter and bending the clips over the arms, as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

In applying the straightener to a shoe, the yoke is placed over the lip of the sole at the toe end and the waist of the straightener is pressed against the sole, the clamp end being expanded by pressing with the fingers upon the grips 11 and 12. Pressure upwardly is brought to bear upon the straightener at the rear and upon the shoe until the hooks 13 and 14.- register with the upper side of the sole, and thereupon the clamp is released and allowed to grasp the sole. The method of removal of the straightener from the shoe is obvious. The yoke 8 enables the straightener to be hung upon a hook or peg.

What I claim is 1. A shoe straightener adapted to be placed on the outside of a shoe comprising a frame formed of a. single resilient wire bent in hour glass shape with a toe portion at one end to be engaged with the toe end of a shoe sole and arms extending from the opposite ends of the toe portion rearwardly beneath the sole of a shoe in converging and then in diverging relation, clamp members formed on the rearward ends of said arms extending laterally thereof in overlapping relationship for engaging the sole, and a plate carried by said arms at the waist thereof to hold said arms in their assembled relation, said arms being formed with downward arou- Y? i' i 1,848,551

ate portions intermediate said waist and clamp members to provide finger grips. 7 2. A shoe straightener adapted to be placed on the outside of a shoe comprising a frame formed of a single resilient wire bentin hour a glass shape with-a toe yoke arranged to extend across, overhang and to beengagedwith the toe end of a shoe sole and arms extending froin the opposite ends of the toe yoke re ar- V 10 wardlybeneath'the sole of a shoe'ineonverg' ing and then in diverging'relation, "clam-p members on the rearward ends of said arms extending laterally thereofin overlapping re lationship for engaging the sole usaid arms being formed with downward arouate portions at'their juncture with said clamp members to provide finger grips,and a 'pl'ate carried by said arms at'the'wa'istithereof :to hold said arms in their assembled relation.

r 3. A shoe straightener adapted to bevplaced on theloutside of a shoe comprising a frame formed 10f asingle resilient wire bent in hour glass shape with a-toe'yoke arranged to extend across, overhang and to be engaged with 22; the toe end of a'shoe sole and arms extending from the opposite ends of the toe-yokerearward-1y and ofifset downwardly from the yoke beneath the sole of a shoe extending in converging. and then in diverging relation,

m": clamp members on the rearward ends of said arms extending laterally thereof in overlapping relationship for-engaging the sole and having their ends with a return overhanging looped portion, saidarms being formed with a downward arcuate portions at their juncture -with said-clamp members to provide finger grips, anda plate carried by saidarms at the waist-thereof to hold said arms in their as- V sem'bled relation.

In witness that I claim the foregoing Ihave hereunto subscribed my name this 13th day of August, 1931, t '1 1 v I e rF REDsAYLESt 

